and force, of wisdom, faithfulness, and truth, as could scarcely fail to pierce the obstinate defence of David's pride and sensuality, and to force from his reluctant lips, first, a plain though undesigned condemnation of himself, and next the unreserved confession, "I have sinned against the Lord." To apply this parable to our own conduct: Can we find no instance, in which we try to spare our own resources, and to shift labour and expense on others, who are less bound in duty, or less able, to afford it? Or to apply to our own warning the reception which this parable met with at the first: Are we never eager to condemn, in others, things which we allow in ourselves? Are we never in haste to apply to their misconduct reproofs which belong more properly to our own?

When David heard the parable he supposed it to be a fact. And he would have had the rich man restore the lamb fourfold, according to the letter of the Law. See Exod. 22. 1. And he declared, though there was no law to this effect, that for his cruelty he deserved to die. (See margin.) How differently did he feel, when the case was shewn to be his own by these few striking words, "Thou art the man!" The parable is a fact; and thou art the pitiless oppressor. Thou hast grievously wronged thy neighbour. Thou hast presumptuously despised thy God. Are then these words true in any sense of us? Can it be truly said to any one of us, as having injured man, or having offended God, "Thou art the man?" Oh let us then make haste to own our sin. Let us feel this to be the chief burden of our sinfulness, that we "have sinned against the Lord." And let us take the mercifulness of God in being willing to forgive, at once for our encouragement in repentance, and for the ground of our resolution to sin no more.

How great must God's mercy be, to put away such sin as this of David's! How deep must have been David's repentance, how lively his faith in God's forgiveness, that he should ever again be able to hold up his head, as a saint and servant of the Lord! No such gross offences as his are recorded, among the faults which are faithfully set down, of God's true servants in the New Testament. But if David, like others of the holy men of old, fell the more deeply into sin, for want of the knowledge, grace, and love, which the Gospel has abundantly revealed, we must at least think that his repentance, and the putting away of his sin by the Lord, foreshewed, in a very eminent degree, that repentance which is unto salvation, that full and free forgiveness, which is assured in the Gospel, by Jesus Christ, unto all truly penitent believers. Let us therefore call to mind the strong evidence afforded, in the Book of Psalms, that David did repent most truly. See Ps. 51. Let us also remember, that the fact of his being pardoned is a proof of his having truly repented. Let us therefore magnify God for his goodness, and praise Him for the revival of true piety in his servant David's heart. And let us pray that it may ever please Him thus to lift up them that fall, and finally to beat down Satan under our feet.

Solomon is born.

LECTURE 522.

The Christian's comfort under the penalty of death. "Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1. 15. This is the apostle's account of the consequences of sin. And though Nathan had been authorized to remit the punishment of public execution, due to David when convicted of adultery, this merciful intimation of God's having forgiven him, was qualified by the sentence straightway following, "the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die." And the history soon to follow will plainly shew, that he suffered, both in himself, and in his family, the many other dreadful visitations foretold by Nathan, besides this of the death of his child. He might be comforted after the child's death. And "Bath-sheba his wife" might bear him afterwards a son whom "the Lord loved;" a striking proof and token of God's forgiveness. He might go forth as of old to fight the battles of the Lord, and get glory before the people, through Joab's seasonable forbearance, by subduing the children of Ammon. He might subdue them so entirely, as to employ them for his slaves, in the labours of the saw, and of the harrow, and of the axe, and of the brickkiln. But for all this he had still to suffer something, he had still to suffer much, as the penalty of his sin, as the consequence of despising God, and wronging his neighbour, and giving great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.

Even we also, unto whom "life and immortality" have been brought "to light," much more clearly, by our Lord, even we who believe in Him, that by dying He "abolished death,” 2 Tim. 1. 10, even we who are encouraged to trust, that we have already commenced that new life which never ends, even we must notwithstanding die, and must be subject to the pain of losing those whom best we love, by the dissolution of soul and body. This penalty for sin we still must pay. But if sin itself be mortified within us, death has lost its sting. And if sin have been mortified in the friends for whom we mourn, we "sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." We know, as David here has taught us, that we shall go to them, though they shall not return to us. And we know further, that which David was not aware of, that very probably, ere death shall have called us hence, our Lord may again descend from heaven, and bring his saints with Him; and they may thus come again to us, yea, before we go to them. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." This is the way in which we may expect soon to meet departed friends. And this is the comfort with which we are instructed to comfort one another: "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4. 13, 14, 17.

Amnon forceth Tamar; and then hateth her.

1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.

2 And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her.

3. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil

divers colours upon her: for parelled.

Then his servant with such robes were the king's brought her out, and bolted the daughters that were virgins ap- door after her.

LECTURE 523.

That God overruleth all things; whether good, or evil. "It came to pass after this," after David's great fall, and wonderful recovery, it came to pass as part of the fulfilment of the woe denounced against him by the prophet Nathan, it came to pass that the same inordinate desire, which had beguiled David to his fall, led Amnon his first born to commit a crime of deepest dye, which laid in David's family the sure foundation of other horrible enormities soon to follow. See in Amnon the consequence of not checking at the outset a guilty passion! He "thought it hard for him to do any thing to her." That is to say, he knew that the Law forbade him to take her to wife, being his sister by the father's side. See in Jonadab how hateful, how hurtful, is wicked counsel, how much to be avoided is the friendship of the wicked! He suggested the abominable means of gratifying that passion in his friend, which he ought to have reproved faithfully, and condemned strongly, and taken instant measures to frustrate entirely. See in Amnon's hatred, so soon following on his love, how few steps there are, between one evil passion gratified, and another, the very opposite one, arising and prevailing, in the heart which has once yielded up itself to their controul! And in the wrongs of Tamar, first unlawfully desired, and then most unjustly hated, see a lively picture of the misery, heaped wantonly by cruel men, on those whom they first seduce, and then desert, whom having first corrupted both in mind and body, they leave without remorse to drag out a life of misery, and to die oftentimes a death of despair!

But can all this be in any part a fulfilment of the woes denounced on David from the Lord? How can it be said properly that such wicked acts as these are in any sense the fulfilment of his designs? This is an objection frequently arising in our minds, because of our mingled ignorance and conceit of knowledge. We are apt to fancy, that we are able to understand far more of God's dealings than we can. And in our anxiety to shrink from laying evil to his charge, we give countenance and courage to those, who by a faulty inference, and false conclusion, make God the Author of sin. If then any one should perplex us with objections of this nature, let us reply, in words well spoken on another occasion, "we are not careful to answer thee in this matter." Dan. 3. 16. It is enough for us to know, that God is good, and man is evil. It is enough for us to have no doubt, that every word which God has spoken will surely come to pass. And if it oftentimes be fulfilled by means of man's wickedness, as well as by means of God's own goodness, this only confirms our confident conviction, that He is able, in the abundance of his power, to make all things, whether good or evil, work together for good according to his will.

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